N.Y. Veterans' Services Law § 19: Women veterans coordinator

§ 19. Women veterans coordinator. 1. Definitions. (a) "Veteran" shall

have the same meaning as defined in section one of this article.

(b) "Department" shall mean the state department of veterans'

services.

(c) "Women veterans coordinator" shall be a veteran.

2. Such women veterans coordinator shall be appointed by the

commissioner.

3. Establishment of women veterans coordinator. There is hereby

established within the department, a "women veterans coordinator" who

shall work under the direction of the commissioner and whose duties

shall include, but not be limited to, the:

(a) identification, development, planning, organization and

coordination of all statewide programs and services to meet the needs of

women veterans;

(b) recommendation to the commissioner to ensure compliance with all

existing department policies and regulations pertaining to the needs of

women veterans on the state and federal level and make recommendations

regarding the improvement of benefits and services to women veterans;

(c) liaison between the department, the United States Department of

Veterans Affairs center for women veterans, the United States Department

of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, state veterans

nursing homes, state agencies, community groups, advocates and other

veterans and military organizations and interested parties and, as it

pertains to the veteran maternity care program established pursuant to

section twenty-nine-c of this article, the commissioners of health and

mental health, hospitals, federal, state, and local health officials,

obstetricians, midwives, pediatricians, veterans and veterans advocates;

(d) advocating for all women veterans in the state;

(e) development and maintenance of a clearinghouse for information and

resources for women veterans;

(f) promote events and activities that recognize, educate and honor

women veterans, including but not limited to seminars required under

subdivision six of section four of this article, veteran human rights

conferences, veterans benefits and resources events, and veterans

cultural competence training;

(g) inclusion of the contributions women veterans have made on behalf

of the United States and this state on the department's official

website;

(h) preparation of reports on topics including, but not limited to,

the demographics of women veterans, the number of women veterans listed

by county, and the unique needs of the women veterans population, to the

extent such information is available, to the commissioner on the status

of women veterans within New York state;

(i) development and implementation of a maternity care program, in

consultation with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the

department of health and the office of mental health, to improve the

capacity of maternity care providers to address the unique needs of

pregnant and postpartum veterans, particularly regarding mental and

behavioral health conditions; and

(j) conspicuously posting on the department's website a link to the

federal women veterans call center number 1-855-VA-WOMEN.

4. Reports. The women veterans coordinator shall submit a report to

the commissioner each year after the effective date of this section.

Such report shall include, but not be limited to, a description of the

women veterans coordinator's activities for the calendar year and the

programs developed pursuant to the provisions of this section. The

commissioner shall submit the report or a synopsis of the report to the

governor in accordance with the provisions of section four of this

article.